Learn REBOL with Real Code Examples

REBOL is versatile for scripting, prototyping, and data exchange.

It supports domain-specific dialects for GUI, networking, and data handling.

Often used for distributed systems, lightweight applications, and custom protocols.

Series-based data structures (strings, blocks, and binaries)

Rich networking and protocol support

REBOL dialects for specific domains (VIEW, VID, etc.)

Functions, objects, and lightweight OOP support

Interactive console and REPL environment

Series: strings, blocks, and binaries

Functions: defining and calling routines

REBOL dialects for specialized tasks

Data types: integers, strings, blocks, objects

Evaluation model and series manipulation

scripts/ - main REBOL programs

lib/ - reusable modules or dialects

data/ - input/output files or blocks

gui/ - VIEW or VID interfaces

docs/ - documentation for scripts and dialects

Write REBOL scripts (.r or .reb files)

Test interactively in the REBOL console

Use dialects for GUI, network, or file operations

Debug scripts and network communication

Deploy lightweight scripts or GUI applications

Beginner: simple scripting and series manipulation

Intermediate: small GUI apps or data automation

Advanced: networking clients or servers

Expert: custom dialect development

Embedded: lightweight, portable REBOL scripts

Much lighter than Python or Java

More expressive for DSLs than traditional languages

Smaller ecosystem than mainstream languages

Great for scripting, less for heavy computation

Portable across platforms with minimal installation

1997 – REBOL 1 released by Carl Sassenrath

1998 – REBOL 2 introduced with block-oriented syntax

2000s – REBOL 2/3 versions for network and GUI

2012 – REBOL 3 open-source core

2018+ – ongoing community forks and lightweight versions

Series: sequences of values like blocks or strings

Dialect: specialized REBOL syntax for specific tasks

FUNC: function definition

VID/VIEW: GUI dialect for building interfaces

BLOCK!: primary data container in REBOL